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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · mug · spell · cell · rash · dip · swing · vault

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rash — hasty
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. swing — music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spell — letters
  14. swing — in golf
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — a face
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fall — the season
  24. rash — a series

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