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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. kick — in football
  3. rash — a series
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ball — a dance
  15. file — a document
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — a path
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — for weighing
  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