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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spell — magic
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rush — hurry
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spell — letters
  16. rock — a stone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. spell — a short time

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