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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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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. spell — a short time
  8. march — the month
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spell — letters
  13. rash — a series
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bark — to shout
  24. march — music

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