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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. tear — to rip
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — of a plant
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spell — letters
  9. root — of a word
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mug — a face
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a cup
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — a video
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — in sport
  19. clip — to cut
  20. net — for catching
  21. mug — to rob
  22. root — the cause
  23. ball — a dance
  24. clip — for paper

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