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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. spell — magic
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. club — a group
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cold — not warm
  17. club — for golf
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. spell — a short time
  24. lash — an eyelash

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