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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. suit — to fit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — letters
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chest — a box
  21. suit — clothes
  22. hand — in cards
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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