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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mate — a partner
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mate — a friend
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spell — letters
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ground — crushed
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spell — magic
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — a position

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