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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. file — a document
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a line of people
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. staff — employees
  15. fall — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. file — a tool

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