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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pop — music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — final
  7. chip — to eat
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chip — for betting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. spell — letters
  12. pop — to visit
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — to go on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — finally
  24. kick — in football

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