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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spell — magic
  12. ball — a great time
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — in golf
  16. lean — to bend
  17. spell — letters
  18. file — a document
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lean — thin
  24. ball — a dance

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