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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: wind · rest · mouse · rock · deal · march · key · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — for a lock
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rest — a break
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rock — 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