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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. key — for a lock
  3. staff — employees
  4. cell — in biology
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. row — a line
  8. degree — an amount
  9. row — to paddle
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — a stick
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spell — letters
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. key — in music

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