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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — help
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. mate — a partner
  16. craft — a skill
  17. snap — to click
  18. spell — a short time
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — of water
  24. mate — a friend

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