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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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Word bank
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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stand — to bear
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — letters
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spell — magic
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. spell — a short time
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — a match
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a great time
  24. dip — a sauce

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