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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. suit — to fit
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spell — letters
  8. last — final
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stem — to come from
  13. last — finally
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. press — newspapers
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fall — the season
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — to go on
  23. spell — a short time
  24. suit — in cards

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