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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — the month
  5. net — in sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. hand — help
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a music group
  14. march — the month
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. season — of the year
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — magic
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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