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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spell — letters
  4. land — to come down
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — ground
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. mark — a trace

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