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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — in sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — for catching
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. spell — letters
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ball — a great time
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spell — magic
  20. tube — a container
  21. kid — child
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. kid — to tease
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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