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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: chip · rash · key · spell · track · shower · calf · land

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chip — for betting
  7. track — a path
  8. key — for a lock
  9. track — a song
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. chip — to eat
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. shower — to wash
  24. calf — a young animal

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