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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 116 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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. spell — letters
  3. track — a song
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spell — magic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a document
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — a path
  11. spring — the season
  12. file — a tool
  13. mug — to rob
  14. present — there
  15. spring — of water
  16. file — a line of people
  17. track — to keep track
  18. swing — to play on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. present — a gift
  21. swing — music
  22. present — the time now
  23. mug — a face
  24. swing — in golf

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