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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spell — letters
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mug — a face
  12. spell — magic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bulb — for light
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ball — a dance

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