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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 120 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: spell · hand · key · arm · cabinet · fall · snap · calf

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to click
  5. spell — letters
  6. hand — help
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fall — the season
  12. key — the most important part
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — magic
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — in music
  24. fall — to drop

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