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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spell — letters
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — final
  12. roll — a cake
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — magic
  15. last — finally
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — a friend
  19. last — to go on
  20. rock — music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. roll — a list
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fall — the season

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