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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — magic
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — the animal
  16. tube — the underground
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rush — hurry
  24. temple — side of the head

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