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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spell — letters
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — in sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — of the year
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — an injury

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