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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. snap — to click
  4. club — for golf
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. key — for a lock
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — happening now
  15. spell — letters
  16. club — for dancing
  17. key — the most important part
  18. current — of water
  19. club — a group
  20. current — electric
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. key — in music
  24. spell — a short time

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