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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cap — a hat
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. charge — a price
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — a lid
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — letters
  18. key — in music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. last — final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. charge — in control

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