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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. club — for dancing
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — to keep track
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — to protest
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — for golf
  14. present — the time now
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cold — an illness
  18. track — a song
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — a group
  21. present — there
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. spell — letters

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