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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bass — the fish
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — music
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — in sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — letters
  20. clip — for paper
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bass — low music
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — of the year

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