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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. spell — letters
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — magic
  8. game — a match
  9. season — of the year
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. shower — to wash
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spell — a short time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — rain
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — a monarch

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