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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. present — a gift
  4. rock — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tube — the underground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. field — a subject
  12. present — there
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — for sport
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. squash — the sport

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