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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — moving air
  4. present — a gift
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — a stone
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. present — the time now
  20. spell — letters
  21. file — a document
  22. rock — music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. present — there

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