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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cold — an illness
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cold — not warm
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spell — letters
  8. land — ground
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. land — a country
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. key — in music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. key — for a lock

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