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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. file — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — to cut
  12. charge — a price
  13. clip — a video
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. charge — in control
  24. spell — letters

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