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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. sharp — clever
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rule — a law
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spell — a short time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — government
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. prune — the fruit

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