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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. toast — bread
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rash — a series
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — a short time
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — of water
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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