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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bat — the animal
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bound — certain
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. roll — a list
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bound — obliged

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