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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. last — final
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mark — a trace
  9. ball — a great time
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — to go on
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — a series
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mark — a grade
  23. suit — to fit
  24. kid — child

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