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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 120 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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chest — a box
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cell — in biology
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spell — letters
  16. club — for golf
  17. cell — a phone
  18. can — a tin

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