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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — magic
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. spell — letters
  9. pit — a hole
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fine — all right
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pit — in a race
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bound — certain
  24. fine — high quality

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