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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spell — magic
  4. file — a document
  5. last — to go on
  6. roll — a list
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — final
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spell — letters
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. press — a publisher
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chest — a box
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. press — to push
  21. file — a tool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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