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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — letters
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pit — a hole
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. clip — a video
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — to come from
  22. clip — to cut
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. clip — for paper

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