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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — an injury
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. spell — a short time
  10. game — wild animals
  11. court — of law
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. court — for sport
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — employees
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. court — of a king
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. dip — to sink

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