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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — a measure
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — the season
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wound — an injury
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — clever

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