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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. present — the time now
  5. row — to paddle
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mug — a face
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cell — a phone
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — in biology
  24. nail — on a finger

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