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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a face
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cue — for pool
  15. press — to push
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rest — a break
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cue — a signal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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