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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — child
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. toast — bread
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. swing — to play on
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. saw — the tool
  24. swing — in golf

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