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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
468
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: bore · spell · key · scale · foot · wave · fine · clip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spell — letters
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fine — all right
  6. bore — to drill
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — a measure
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — magic
  11. fine — high quality
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. clip — a video
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bore — to tire
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — in music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. scale — in music

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