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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: ground · spell · lie · cold · march · wake · chip · suit

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chip — for betting
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. spell — magic
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spell — a short time
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. march — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. march — the month
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. ground — a position
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. spell — letters
  24. suit — clothes

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