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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. foot — a measure
  11. clip — to cut
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — a video
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pop — to visit
  24. foot — the bottom

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