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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. spell — magic
  4. spring — a coil
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — finally
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — a friend
  13. swing — music
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. last — final
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — of water

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