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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: kid · straw · mate · row · bulb · key · toast · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kid — child
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — to breed
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. toast — bread
  10. key — in music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spell — magic
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — a short time
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — a line
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kid — to tease
  24. straw — dry grass

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