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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — a line
  6. board — a committee
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spell — a short time
  9. row — to paddle
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — the month
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — a break
  17. fall — the season
  18. march — music
  19. board — to get on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — magic

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