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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bore — to tire
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — child
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — letters
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bore — to drill
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lean — to bend
  21. can — to be able to
  22. lean — thin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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