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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spell — magic
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. kid — child
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — size or range
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — in music
  24. pass — a permit

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