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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. suit — in cards
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rush — hurry
  12. suit — to fit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. ground — a position
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spell — letters
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ground — the earth
  22. suit — clothes
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rush — a thrill

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