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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. spell — letters
  2. key — for a lock
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. can — a tin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  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