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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. dip — to sink
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. mug — a face
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — the month
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. march — music
  24. bass — the fish

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