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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fall — the season
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rock — music
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rock — a stone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. hand — in cards

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