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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — magic
  5. present — there
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — the time now
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — letters
  11. file — a document
  12. mark — a grade
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rest — a break
  20. row — a line
  21. object — to protest
  22. file — a line of people
  23. squash — the sport
  24. object — a thing

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