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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. roll — a cake
  3. march — music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hand — in cards
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. roll — a list
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — letters
  10. hand — help
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hand — part of the body

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