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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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Word bank
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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — the fish
  8. spell — letters
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rest — what's left
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bass — low music
  15. season — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — a break
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. present — the time now

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