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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bank — for money
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — there

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