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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — letters
  10. stand — to bear
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wake — a trail
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — rain
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cold — an illness

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