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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rule — government
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. file — a document
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitch — completely
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — letters
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. deal — a big deal

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