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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — a tin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — final
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. spell — magic
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — letters
  13. swing — to play on
  14. craft — a skill
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. last — finally
  17. can — to be able to
  18. snap — to click
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — boats
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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