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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. net — for catching
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. net — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — after costs
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rush — hurry
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — army training
  19. staff — employees
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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