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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. spell — magic
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. season — in sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — final
  24. spell — letters

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