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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — letters
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stock — goods
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. chip — for betting
  15. club — for golf
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spell — a short time
  24. saw — the 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