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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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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: snap · key · spell · roll · march · wind · court · lash

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — of a king
  6. spell — a short time
  7. key — in music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. key — the most important part
  10. march — music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. roll — a list
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spell — magic
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. court — of law
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to click
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spell — letters
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. court — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wind — moving air

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