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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. drill — army training
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. last — finally
  21. spring — of water
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. last — final

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