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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lie — to recline
  3. spell — magic
  4. last — final
  5. spell — a short time
  6. can — to be able to
  7. season — of the year
  8. last — to go on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. can — a tin
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wax — to grow
  16. last — finally
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. can — a tin

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