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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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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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 — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. court — of law
  10. hand — help
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — a group
  18. spell — letters
  19. kid — child
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  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