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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rest — a break
  3. fine — high quality
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fine — all right
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — letters
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — what's left
  17. season — in sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fine — a penalty

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