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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.

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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. last — final
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. mug — a cup
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rock — a stone
  9. last — finally
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. last — to go on
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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