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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. spell — magic
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — part of the head
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. band — a ring
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. face — to confront
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a rubber band

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