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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a ring
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — a series
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spell — letters
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — hasty
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fan — to cool the air

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