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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: key · bear · hand · mark · shower · track · spell · date

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spell — letters
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. key — for a lock
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — to wash
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mark — a trace
  19. track — to keep track
  20. date — the fruit
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. key — in music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bear — to put up with

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