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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: firm · wake · spell · tear · ball · bowl · chest · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ball — a great time
  4. firm — decided
  5. ball — a dance
  6. firm — a company
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chest — of your body
  12. key — in music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — letters
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. spell — a short time
  18. key — for a lock
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. firm — steady
  24. wake — before a funeral

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