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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spell — magic
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. game — a match
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — for sport
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cue — for pool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spell — letters
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. cue — a hint
  22. game — wild animals
  23. field — farmland
  24. staff — a stick

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