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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. fine — high quality
  4. last — to go on
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pop — music
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. last — final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — soda
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. last — finally
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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