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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — letters
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. swing — music

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