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

Word bank: spell · lie · wind · cap · fork · kick · coach · content

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. fork — in a road
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. kick — in football
  9. content — the amount
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — happy
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spell — magic
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cap — a hat
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wind — moving air

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