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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — a short time
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pop — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spell — magic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spell — letters
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wind — moving air
  15. toast — bread
  16. hand — help
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. hand — in cards

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