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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. key — in music
  10. field — for sport
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — a subject
  13. key — the most important part
  14. snap — to click
  15. field — farmland
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. perch — the fish
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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