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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spell — magic
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — letters
  24. ball — a great time

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