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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — to go on
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. mark — a trace
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — final
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bulb — for light
  14. toast — bread
  15. roll — a list
  16. last — finally
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cue — for pool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fork — in a road

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