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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: wound · foot · key · cell · spell · file · cap · track

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. spell — magic
  3. key — for a lock
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — letters
  8. wound — an injury
  9. track — a path
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. file — a document
  17. key — in music
  18. file — a tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cell — a phone
  23. key — the most important part
  24. foot — part of the body

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