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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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. 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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — letters
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. shower — to wash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — rain
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. 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