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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — magic
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pound — a weight
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. spring — the season
  24. chair — a leader

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