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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. field — for sport
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — a subject
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — all right
  9. fall — the season
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — letters
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. chest — a box
  21. field — farmland
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — in sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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