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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — in music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. key — the most important part
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. roll — a list
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bear — the animal

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