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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — to visit
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pop — soda
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. hand — help
  14. club — a group
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — in cards
  22. club — for golf
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ball — a great time

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