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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.

Make a worksheet

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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spell — magic
  6. fine — all right
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. key — the most important part
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spell — letters
  16. ball — a great time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. roll — a cake
  22. key — in music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fine — a penalty

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