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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. roll — a cake
  13. toast — bread
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. clip — a video
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — of the year
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. clip — to cut
  24. season — in 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