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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. toast — bread
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. object — to protest
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — a match
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. field — for sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. object — a thing
  24. ball — a round shape

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