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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. key — the most important part
  4. spell — magic
  5. board — to get on
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — a short time
  10. key — in music
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spell — letters
  13. board — a committee
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fine — all right
  16. key — for a lock
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fine — high quality
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. roll — a list

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