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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rock — music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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