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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. file — a tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — letters
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — a short time
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rash — hasty
  24. key — in music

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