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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mark — a grade
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spell — magic
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — from crying
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — of a tree

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