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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a cup
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. dip — to sink
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spell — letters
  10. mug — a face
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wake — a trail
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. spell — a short time
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mug — to rob

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