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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mate — a partner
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. key — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bound — tied together
  9. roll — a list
  10. key — the most important part
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rule — government
  13. mate — a friend
  14. key — for a lock
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bound — certain
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — in music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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