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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · wound · cold · club · ruler · key · charge · squash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. cold — an illness
  5. club — a group
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — in music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. charge — in control
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spell — letters
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. charge — a price
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. charge — electricity

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