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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — after costs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. pit — in a race
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — in sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — magic
  12. plane — a tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. last — final
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. band — a ring
  20. pit — a hole
  21. last — to go on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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