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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. field — for sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — a subject
  6. mug — a face
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mug — to rob
  9. object — to protest
  10. spell — letters
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — farmland
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. object — a thing
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fall — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. fall — to drop

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