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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spell — magic
  4. spring — a coil
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — the season
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bound — certain
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bound — obliged
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spell — letters
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — clever

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