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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — magic
  4. key — for a lock
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. land — ground
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — to come down
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — in music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. spell — a short time
  19. clip — for paper
  20. suit — clothes
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pitch — completely
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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