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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.

Make a worksheet

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: foot · bound · bass · spell · kid · perch · nail · key

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — in music
  4. bound — certain
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — child
  14. key — the most important part
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bass — low music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — on a finger
  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