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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mate — a partner
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — letters
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a friend

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