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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — magic
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fall — the season
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ground — a position
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pop — soda

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