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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a cup
  3. track — a path
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mug — a face
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mug — to rob
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cold — not warm
  24. track — a song

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