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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — a short time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — final
  8. spell — magic
  9. key — in music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. shower — rain
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. last — to go on
  24. coach — a trainer

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