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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spell — magic
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cap — of ice
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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