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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mark — a trace
  8. land — ground
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cue — for pool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — a video
  16. cue — a signal
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spell — magic
  24. wind — moving air

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