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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hand — help
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — letters
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spell — magic
  24. cabinet — ministers

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