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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. staff — employees
  4. chest — a box
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — magic
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chest — of your body
  15. staff — employees
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rule — government
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rule — a law
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chest — of your body

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