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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. present — a gift
  3. shower — rain
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — the time now
  8. face — to confront
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — final
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — to go on
  16. present — there
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — to point toward
  24. last — finally

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