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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. spell — letters
  2. rash — a series
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spell — magic
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. swing — music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — a position
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  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