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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — army training
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spell — letters
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — a position
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — magic
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fan — a supporter

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