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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. swing — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wave — of the sea

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