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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — a match
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. dip — to sink
  8. game — wild animals
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. band — a music group
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. track — a path
  16. band — a ring
  17. spell — magic
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. key — for a lock
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. dip — a sauce

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