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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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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — in music
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. drill — the tool
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — a short time
  14. drill — army training
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. key — the most important part
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ball — a great 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