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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chair · key · calf · spell · pass · bulb · mark · row

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spell — letters
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. spell — a short time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spell — magic
  17. row — a line
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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