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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
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: current · coach · club · spell · kid · key · bat · bear

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spell — magic
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — of water
  7. kid — child
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kid — to tease
  10. key — in music
  11. current — electric
  12. key — the most important part
  13. club — a group
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. club — for golf
  20. spell — a short time
  21. current — happening now
  22. club — for dancing
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bear — the animal

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