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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bore — to drill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cold — an illness
  18. spell — a short time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. mug — a face
  24. bore — to tire

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