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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. present — a gift
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. roll — a cake
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. present — there
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — the time now
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. roll — a list
  17. mug — a face
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — a short time
  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