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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — letters
  9. season — in sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bank — for money
  13. kick — in football
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a ring
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bank — of a river
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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