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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — a lid
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mug — a face
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — a series

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