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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. march — the month
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — finally
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. last — final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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