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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ground — crushed
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ground — the earth
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a music group
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — boats
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — a position
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. craft — a skill
  21. spell — magic
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. band — a ring

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