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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — magic
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bore — to tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rush — hurry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — certain
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. face — to confront
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bound — obliged
  17. spell — letters
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — part of the head
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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