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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. spell — letters
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to click
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. drill — army training
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — magic
  24. mouse — for a computer

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