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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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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ground — the earth
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. object — to protest
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rule — a law
  10. foot — a measure
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — magic
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rule — government
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ground — a position

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