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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mug — a face
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. march — music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — a friend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mate — a partner
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — letters
  22. lie — to recline
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. march — the month

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