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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — a break
  9. spell — letters
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bank — for money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to click
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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