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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. field — a subject
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rash — a series
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — a hole
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — farmland
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spell — letters
  24. field — for sport

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