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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: mine · pass · spell · stick · dip · hide · cold · last

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. last — final
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. last — finally
  5. cold — an illness
  6. last — to go on
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spell — magic
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spell — letters

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