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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 · pop · kid · leaves · fork · spell · lie · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pop — soda
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spell — letters
  8. pop — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spell — magic
  15. pop — to visit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — in a road
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. kid — child
  24. spell — a short time

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