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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 124 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. foot — a measure
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. court — of a king
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hand — help
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spell — letters
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. court — for sport
  24. foot — part of the body

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