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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. key — the most important part
  4. present — there
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. key — in music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. march — the month
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — music
  24. spell — magic

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