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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spell — magic
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spell — letters
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. rest — a break
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mug — a face
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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