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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. club — a group
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. face — to confront
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. spell — letters
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cell — in biology
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spell — magic
  23. rush — hurry
  24. march — the month

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