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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. present — there
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. spell — magic
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. present — a gift
  18. kid — child
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — the time now
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — to add flavour

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