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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spell — a short time
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — in sport
  9. charge — in control
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — clever
  15. row — a line
  16. tear — to rip
  17. charge — a price
  18. row — to paddle
  19. club — for golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. perch — the fish
  22. charge — electricity
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spell — letters

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