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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — music
  6. track — a path
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — for pool
  10. march — the month
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. cue — a signal
  15. court — of a king
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. march — the month
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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