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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: last · lie · ruler · hand · jam · cap · spell · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — of ice
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. last — final
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cap — a hat
  10. last — to go on
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — of the year
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — magic
  20. cap — a lid
  21. last — finally
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — part of the 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