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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for golf
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fan — a supporter

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