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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 · shower · net · track · charge · foot · key · content

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. charge — in control
  3. spell — letters
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. track — a song
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. net — for catching
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. content — happy
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. charge — a price
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. charge — electricity
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — rain

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