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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 124 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — finally
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — in biology
  24. nail — on a finger

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