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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — a country
  13. pop — soda
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pop — music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. plane — a tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. season — of the year
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. root — of a word

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