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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. spell — magic
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spring — of water
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. bass — low music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spell — letters
  12. ground — the earth
  13. file — a document
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ground — a position
  17. file — a tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — the season
  24. file — a line of people

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