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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. key — in music
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. race — the arms race
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. net — for catching
  10. race — a contest
  11. spell — a short time
  12. key — the most important part
  13. race — humankind
  14. club — a group
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — after costs
  17. court — of law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of a king
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com