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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. spell — magic
  6. last — to go on
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — the tool
  9. swing — music
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. last — final
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. swing — in golf
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spell — letters
  19. suit — clothes
  20. last — finally
  21. kid — to tease
  22. suit — in cards
  23. drill — a practice
  24. suit — to fit

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