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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rock — music
  3. fall — the season
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. club — for dancing
  9. face — to confront
  10. charge — in control
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — a price
  16. fork — in a road
  17. club — a group
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — electricity
  20. face — to point toward
  21. club — for golf
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. face — part of the head

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