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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — there
  5. spell — a short time
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. present — the time now
  9. field — a subject
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — letters
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a friend
  18. present — a gift
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — for 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