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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 120 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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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — magic
  4. key — in music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. craft — boats
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spell — letters
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. spell — a short time
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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