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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — a subject
  4. rule — government
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rule — a law
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. court — of law
  10. field — farmland
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spell — a short time
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. field — for sport
  18. roll — a list
  19. bound — certain
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. roll — a cake

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