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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a match
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spell — letters

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