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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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. pit — a hole
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. last — to go on
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wound — an injury
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spell — letters
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — final
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. last — finally
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chest — a box
  24. foot — a measure

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