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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — a short time
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. key — in music
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. spell — letters
  12. bore — to tire
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bore — to drill
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — happy
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. content — the amount
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. pitch — completely

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