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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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. pound — a weight
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cue — for pool
  7. race — humankind
  8. bulb — for light
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — magic
  14. race — the arms race
  15. key — in music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. race — a contest
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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