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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. scale — size or range
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bore — to drill
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. scale — in music
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic

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