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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. row — to paddle
  7. band — a ring
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. court — of a king
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spring — of water
  18. spell — a short time
  19. band — a music group
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — letters
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of law

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