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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. row — a line
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spell — magic
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — to eat
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mate — a friend

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