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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. court — for sport
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. tube — a container
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pass — a permit
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — of a king
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. court — of law
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chair — a professorship

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