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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spell — magic
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. snap — to click
  9. key — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. date — the fruit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. present — there
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — letters
  18. present — the time now
  19. cap — of ice
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. key — for a lock
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a hat

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