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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bass — low music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ground — a position
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. band — a ring
  20. roll — a list
  21. spell — letters
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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