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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — hasty
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tube — a container
  11. roll — a list
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — a lid
  16. spell — letters
  17. cap — a hat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — a short time
  22. present — there
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rash — a series

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