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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — to bend
  3. spell — letters
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pop — soda
  6. pitch — completely
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fork — in a road
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pop — music

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