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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. root — of a plant
  6. present — a gift
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. present — there
  11. root — the cause
  12. current — happening now
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. current — electric
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. current — of water
  20. present — the time now
  21. root — of a word
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chair — a leader

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