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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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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 · mug · temple · roll · perch · rest · wind · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a cup
  3. key — for a lock
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. key — in music
  6. mug — a face
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. spell — letters
  13. rest — a break
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wind — moving air
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. roll — a list
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. key — the most important part

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