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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. foot — a measure
  4. key — the most important part
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spell — letters
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — for sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kid — child
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — rain
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. kid — to tease
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — for a lock
  19. craft — a skill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. key — in music
  23. craft — boats
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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