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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — a measure
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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