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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cue — a hint
  6. drill — army training
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — a signal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — a practice

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