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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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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — the month
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spell — letters
  6. squash — the sport
  7. drill — a practice
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — to eat
  11. key — in music
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. march — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — army training
  17. spell — magic
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a great time
  23. squash — to crush
  24. key — for a lock

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