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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. spell — letters
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chest — a box
  11. mark — a trace
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — magic
  19. chest — of your body
  20. club — a group
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for golf

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