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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — a container
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spell — letters
  13. hand — help
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — in a 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