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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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468
Word bank
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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. game — a match
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — letters
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — wild animals
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rash — a series
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spell — a short time
  24. perch — for a bird

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