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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kid — child
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. key — in music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cue — for pool
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cue — a signal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pound — to hit hard

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