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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — not warm
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. season — in sport
  6. rule — a law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — a short time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rest — a break
  15. spell — letters
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — of the year
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rule — government
  24. season — to add flavour

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