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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rash — a series
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — bread
  9. track — a song
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. roll — a list
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rash — hasty
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stand — to bear

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