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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 120 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — magic
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pass — a permit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spell — letters
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — a city
  19. foot — a measure
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. capital — money
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. tear — from crying

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