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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — a committee
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. board — to get on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — the season
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rash — a series
  16. spell — letters
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. land — to come down
  20. spring — of water
  21. land — a country
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rash — hasty

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