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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. suit — in cards
  3. game — wild animals
  4. suit — clothes
  5. spell — a short time
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fall — the season
  9. rash — hasty
  10. suit — to fit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. drill — army training
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bound — certain
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — letters
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a match
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. game — a kind of play

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