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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. file — a tool
  3. key — in music
  4. firm — decided
  5. file — a line of people
  6. key — the most important part
  7. file — a document
  8. court — of law
  9. cue — a signal
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — magic
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cue — for pool
  14. court — for sport
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fork — in a road
  17. content — happy
  18. firm — steady
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. firm — a company
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cue — a hint
  24. content — the amount

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