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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. toast — bread
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — in biology
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a path
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spell — letters
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. track — to keep track
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a song
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — a position

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