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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — in music
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. dip — to sink
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spell — magic

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