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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. spell — magic
  3. squash — the sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. band — a music group
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. firm — decided
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. deal — to handle
  12. band — a ring
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. firm — a company
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. firm — steady
  24. kick — in football

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