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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bulb — for light
  6. roll — a list
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. spring — of water
  11. roll — a cake
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — letters
  22. swing — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — a coil

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