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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. net — after costs
  10. rash — a series
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. net — for catching
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — letters
  24. cold — not warm

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