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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — letters
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — for sport
  6. fall — the season
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spell — a short time
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — a subject
  21. rule — government
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mug — to rob

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