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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rash — a series
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. dip — to sink
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bark — to shout
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — magic
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — to dunk

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