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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. band — a music group
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pop — music
  10. spell — letters
  11. club — for golf
  12. clip — a video
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — a group
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mate — a partner
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pop — to visit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — hurry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. mate — to breed

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