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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. root — of a word
  3. spell — letters
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. season — in sport
  6. swing — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fork — in a road
  9. board — a committee
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. swing — to play on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. board — to get on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. swing — in golf
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hide — to keep secret

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