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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spell — magic
  3. present — a gift
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — low music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hand — help
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. squash — to crush
  11. present — there
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — letters
  14. mark — a grade
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. present — the time now
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pit — in a race

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