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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. key — the most important part
  7. vault — a safe
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spell — magic
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. face — part of the head
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — in music
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — a short time
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. prune — to trim

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