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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mug — a face
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spell — a short time
  10. firm — decided
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. sharp — clever
  15. present — the time now
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. present — there
  18. game — a match
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rash — a series
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — wild animals

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