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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — for paper
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fine — all right
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. clip — a video
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wind — to turn a key

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