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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. root — the cause
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kid — child
  15. season — in sport
  16. root — of a word
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. season — of the year
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bat — for baseball

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