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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cold — an illness
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cold — not warm
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rash — a series
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. roll — a list
  15. board — to get on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. board — a committee
  19. track — a song
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. track — a path
  22. spell — letters
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. temple — a place of worship

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