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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — a short time
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spell — letters
  5. pit — a hole
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — in a race
  8. season — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spell — magic
  14. game — wild animals
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — of the year
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. snap — to click
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hide — to keep secret

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