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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 120 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a music group
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. band — a ring
  12. key — in music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. key — the most important part
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spell — a short time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — for a lock

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