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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — a trail
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — part of the head
  7. perch — the fish
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to confront
  14. spell — letters
  15. fall — the season
  16. shower — rain
  17. hand — help
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — to drop
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. deal — to handle
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — part of the body

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