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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cap — a lid
  6. spell — letters
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — to crush
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — a position
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. date — the fruit
  21. ground — the earth
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. season — of the year
  24. cap — of ice

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