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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — the season
  3. spell — magic
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spring — of water
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a friend
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spring — a coil
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spell — a short time

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