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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spell — magic
  8. field — a subject
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — a match
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. squash — to crush

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