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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — a line
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spell — letters
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lean — thin
  17. net — in sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. row — to paddle
  20. net — after costs
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — for catching
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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