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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rash — hasty
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spell — magic
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — a short time
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — letters
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. content — the amount

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