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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — hasty
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. spell — magic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — a short time
  10. capital — money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spell — letters
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — a big letter

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