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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: club · key · arm · mark · toast · nail · squash · spell

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. squash — the sport
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — a group
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — letters
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mark — a trace
  18. toast — bread
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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