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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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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — a short time
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hand — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — help
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spell — magic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rest — a break
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lie — to recline

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