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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — magic
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. land — ground
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. land — a country
  13. rest — a break
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rest — what's left

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