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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bass — low music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — magic
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — a series

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