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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — for catching
  4. spell — magic
  5. last — to go on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — final
  13. mate — to breed
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — finally

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