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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pop — soda
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. season — in sport

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