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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spell — letters
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. craft — a skill
  16. track — a path
  17. land — ground
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. craft — boats
  20. track — to keep track
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — a country
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. track — a song

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