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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. key — the most important part
  4. can — to be able to
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pitch — completely
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — a short time
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. can — a tin
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cold — an illness
  22. hand — help
  23. key — in music
  24. cold — not warm

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