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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — money
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spell — magic
  7. fork — in a road
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. net — in sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. spell — a short time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. net — for catching
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. net — after costs
  22. capital — a city
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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