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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rock — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — the season
  5. ground — a position
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — certain
  8. club — for golf
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. club — a group
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — to move gently

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