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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spell — letters
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. suit — to fit
  7. last — to go on
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tube — a container
  10. bass — low music
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. last — final
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bass — the fish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wound — an injury
  21. suit — clothes
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. wound — an injury

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