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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. spell — magic
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spell — letters
  12. pass — a permit
  13. perch — the fish
  14. land — a country
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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