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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fall — the season
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bound — certain
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. can — a tin
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mate — to breed
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bound — tied together
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bat — in an idiom

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