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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — a group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — to handle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. club — for golf
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — a video

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