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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 · racket · bore · face · scale · spell · drill · spring

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. face — to confront
  12. spell — magic
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. bore — to tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — size or range
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spring — of water
  20. spell — letters
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bore — to drill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — a coil

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