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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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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: perch · cap · key · spell · kid · rule · game · bay

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — a law
  6. key — in music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cap — a lid
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cap — a hat
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kid — child
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rule — government
  21. game — a match
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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