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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — magic
  10. key — the most important part
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — in music
  14. fall — the season
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spell — letters
  18. cold — not warm
  19. season — in sport
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  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