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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — a trail
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in biology
  13. perch — the fish
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spell — magic
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cell — a phone

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