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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cap — a lid
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. present — a gift
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — final
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. last — to go on
  11. object — to protest
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. object — an aim
  14. present — the time now
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — finally
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. present — there
  20. object — a thing
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spell — letters
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spell — magic

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