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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. saw — the tool
  4. object — a thing
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. charge — in control
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. charge — a price
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. sharp — clever
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — electricity
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — exactly

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