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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. spring — the season
  5. ground — a position
  6. spell — letters
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spell — a short time
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mouse — for a computer

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