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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. kid — child
  5. hand — in cards
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — a position
  9. hand — help
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. present — a gift
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — letters
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — all right
  24. present — the time now

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