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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spell — a short time
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — a position
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. sharp — clever
  19. track — a path
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. plane — a tool
  22. spell — letters
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. sharp — with an edge

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