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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. court — of law
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — magic
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mine — for digging
  9. court — of a king
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spell — a short time
  14. board — a committee
  15. court — for sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. can — to be able to
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. board — to get on
  24. can — a tin

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