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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — letters
  4. pitch — completely
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bark — to shout
  21. spell — a short time
  22. face — to point toward
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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