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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 116 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: bear · key · sharp · game · spell · last · wound · land

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. land — a country
  3. game — a match
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. sharp — clever
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — letters
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — magic
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. spell — a short time
  17. key — the most important part
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — to go on
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — final
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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