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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — magic
  17. net — for catching
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rock — to move gently

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