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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. object — to protest
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. object — an aim
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — happening now
  8. object — a thing
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — in music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lie — to recline
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cold — not warm
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — electric
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. current — of water

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