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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: key · object · content · fall · cap · saw · tear · spell

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. key — for a lock
  3. object — a thing
  4. cap — a hat
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spell — a short time
  10. object — to protest
  11. spell — letters
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spell — magic
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — in music
  17. content — happy
  18. tear — to rip
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tear — from crying
  24. object — an aim

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