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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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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. saw — the tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rest — a break
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. swing — music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rest — what's left

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