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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — magic
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — letters
  8. court — of a king
  9. pop — to visit
  10. court — for sport
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pop — soda
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pop — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — a weight

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