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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — a break
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fall — the season
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pop — soda
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pop — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a line

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