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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spell — letters
  6. root — of a plant
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. spell — a short time
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wake — a trail
  14. root — of a word
  15. toast — bread
  16. rush — hurry
  17. clip — a video
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. season — of the year
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. root — the cause
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — in sport

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