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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. present — there
  3. perch — the fish
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — a short time
  6. key — in music
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — letters
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — a country
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — a break
  18. pass — a permit
  19. present — a gift
  20. land — ground
  21. present — the time now
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. key — for a lock

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