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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. spell — a short time
  18. kick — in football
  19. spell — letters
  20. file — a tool
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fine — all right
  24. file — a document

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