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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 120 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: mine · chair · pound · key · suit · rest · spell · club

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. club — a group
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pound — a weight
  7. club — for dancing
  8. spell — a short time
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. suit — to fit
  22. rest — a break
  23. suit — in cards
  24. club — for golf

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