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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. craft — boats
  4. spell — magic
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — certain
  8. land — ground
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — the most important part
  11. land — a country
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. land — to come down
  15. plane — a tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. key — in music
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — letters
  22. craft — a skill
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — to wash

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