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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. spell — magic
  3. spring — a coil
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — letters
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. spring — of water
  15. lie — to recline
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — the season

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