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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. can — a tin
  3. deal — to handle
  4. land — to come down
  5. key — the most important part
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — ground
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bound — obliged
  12. land — a country
  13. key — in music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. stem — to come from
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spell — letters

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