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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — to confront
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a match
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — finally
  10. ground — the earth
  11. last — to go on
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — a face
  14. ground — a position
  15. mug — to rob
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. face — part of the head
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mug — a cup
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — a short time
  24. last — final

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