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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. roll — a list
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — a short time
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. roll — a cake
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. spell — magic
  10. season — in sport
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — a safe
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spell — letters
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. scale — in music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. toast — bread
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wind — moving air

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