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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — magic
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — the season
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — music
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — for pool
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wound — an injury

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