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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — to come down
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a ring
  12. rash — hasty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mark — a grade
  20. date — the fruit
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rash — a series
  24. land — a country

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