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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. clip — to cut
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. roll — a list
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rash — a series
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spell — letters

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