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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a great time
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. key — the most important part
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. spell — magic
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. court — of law
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. court — for sport
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. key — in music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. prune — to trim
  23. toast — bread
  24. prune — to trim

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