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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mug — to rob
  6. court — of law
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — in music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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