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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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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — a break
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fall — the season
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fine — all right
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — letters
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rest — what's left

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