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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tube — a container
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tube — the underground
  7. ball — a great time
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. key — in music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. spell — magic
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kid — child
  24. key — the most important part

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