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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. field — a subject
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spell — a short time
  5. toast — bread
  6. land — to come down
  7. drill — the tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spell — letters
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. field — for sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — a container
  17. land — ground
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. drill — army training
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — a country

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