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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. court — for sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — certain
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. court — of a king
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fine — high quality
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. court — of law
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. plane — a tool
  24. track — a song

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