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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spell — magic
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. rest — what's left
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. staff — employees
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a match
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rest — a break
  19. spell — a short time
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rest — what's left

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