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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
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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 · cabinet · object · staff · mark · last · track · pitcher

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — magic
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spell — letters
  7. staff — employees
  8. object — a thing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. object — an aim
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. object — to protest
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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