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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — magic
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. key — in music
  5. kid — child
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mark — a grade
  9. kid — to tease
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. row — a line
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spell — letters
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spell — a short time

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