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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. firm — steady
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spell — a short time
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. march — music
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. current — of water
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — a company
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a committee
  17. firm — decided
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. spell — letters
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to sink
  24. march — the month

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