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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — of water
  5. rush — hurry
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spring — the season
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rule — government
  18. wound — an injury
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rule — a law
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ground — the earth

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