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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. season — of the year
  3. can — a tin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — in sport
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. can — to be able to
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. toast — bread
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cue — a signal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cue — for pool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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