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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rule — a law
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spell — a short time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rule — government
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — letters
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ground — the earth

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