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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. craft — boats
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spell — letters
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spell — magic
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pop — music
  24. game — a kind of play

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