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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lie — to recline
  3. staff — employees
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. spell — a short time
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — a subject
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fork — in a road
  17. field — farmland
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spell — magic
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. field — for sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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