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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spell — magic
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pop — soda
  9. field — for sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — music
  13. spell — letters
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bay — a horse colour

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