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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — for money
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — finally
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spell — letters
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chip — to eat
  15. last — final
  16. rash — a series
  17. last — to go on
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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