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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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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: suit · spell · chest · lie · ball · rock · shower · pass

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — magic
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. shower — rain
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chest — a box
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spell — letters
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chest — of your body

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