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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. sharp — clever
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. key — in music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ball — a dance
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spell — letters
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. branch — a division
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. foot — a measure
  23. spring — of water
  24. branch — of a bank

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