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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — in sport
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. roll — a list
  6. net — for catching
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. roll — a cake
  13. march — music
  14. net — after costs
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. march — the month
  23. mark — a trace
  24. shower — to wash

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