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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mug — to rob
  4. object — a thing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. object — an aim
  7. mug — a face
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mug — a cup
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — of a word
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — to protest
  17. spell — magic
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. root — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. root — the cause

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