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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — letters
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cell — in biology
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — soda
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tear — from crying

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