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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spell — letters
  7. mate — a partner
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. lean — thin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. drill — army training
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — a short time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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