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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — a path
  9. game — wild animals
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — a match
  23. key — for a lock
  24. snap — to click

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