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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — a short time
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kick — in football
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — letters
  24. track — a song

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