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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: key · spell · toast · game · object · mark · shower · rest

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — letters
  3. rest — a break
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. key — in music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spell — magic
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. object — to protest
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. spell — a short time
  17. toast — bread
  18. object — an aim
  19. shower — rain
  20. object — a thing
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mark — a trace
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — a kind of play

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