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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. key — for a lock
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a document
  10. track — to keep track
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — the most important part
  14. snap — to click
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a tool
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ruler — for measuring

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