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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — letters
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — the season
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ground — crushed

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