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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. spell — a short time
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — letters
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — the amount
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bound — certain
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rash — hasty
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — a series
  16. toast — bread
  17. spell — magic
  18. content — happy
  19. file — a tool
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bound — tied together
  23. file — a document
  24. roll — a cake

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