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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ball — a dance
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. net — in sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. key — the most important part
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. spell — a short time
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tube — the underground
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ball — a great time
  21. key — for a lock
  22. spell — letters
  23. key — in music
  24. tube — in a tire

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