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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rest — a break
  5. spell — a short time
  6. foot — a measure
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. spell — magic
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — what's left
  24. foot — part of the body

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