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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · pop · chair · hand · hide · spell · rest · suit

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pop — music
  5. hand — help
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rest — a break
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — soda
  15. spell — letters
  16. rest — what's left
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. field — for sport
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pop — to visit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. suit — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

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