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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spell — magic
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. race — a contest
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. snap — to click
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — humankind
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spell — a short time
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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