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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 120 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
468
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 · key · field · shower · ball · sharp · rule · object

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. object — to protest
  3. rule — a law
  4. shower — rain
  5. rule — government
  6. field — for sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. object — a thing
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — farmland
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. object — an aim

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