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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — finally
  5. spell — magic
  6. bat — the animal
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. season — in sport
  10. press — to push
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rest — a break
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — final
  18. spell — letters
  19. last — to go on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rest — what's left

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