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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: snap · plane · fork · mine · date · spell · cap · key

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — for digging
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. key — in music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. snap — to click
  8. key — for a lock
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — the most important part
  16. date — the fruit
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fork — in a road
  24. spell — a short time

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