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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — of water
  5. spell — magic
  6. face — part of the head
  7. track — a song
  8. rock — a stone
  9. swing — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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