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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. present — there
  3. spell — magic
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. present — the time now
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spell — letters
  13. present — a gift
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mug — to rob
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. charge — in control
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — a price
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — the season
  24. mine — belonging to me

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