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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · spring · mate · cold · spell · hide · cap · racket

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — letters
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spring — of water
  6. mate — to breed
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — a short time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cold — an illness

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