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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — a short time
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — a position
  16. row — a line
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — letters
  24. deal — an agreement

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