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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rash — a series
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. spell — letters
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mate — a partner
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — magic
  16. game — a match
  17. rash — hasty
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. arm — a part of something

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