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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bank — for money
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. capital — money
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitch — completely
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chest — a box
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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