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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. present — the time now
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — a gift
  12. march — the month
  13. pit — a hole
  14. present — there
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. march — the month
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. hand — help
  24. bear — the animal

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