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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. charge — electricity
  6. spell — a short time
  7. band — a ring
  8. charge — in control
  9. sharp — clever
  10. band — a music group
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — a price
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. ground — a position
  20. field — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lie — an untruth

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