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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. court — for sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — a friend
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mark — a grade
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mate — a partner
  15. file — a document
  16. mark — a trace
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mate — to breed
  20. season — in sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spell — letters
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — a short time

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