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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — letters
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — the sport
  8. roll — a cake
  9. squash — to crush
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bound — obliged
  13. roll — a list
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bound — certain
  16. kick — in football
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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