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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cue — a hint
  3. present — there
  4. club — a group
  5. present — a gift
  6. spell — magic
  7. bass — low music
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. club — for golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the fish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. ground — the earth
  19. club — for dancing
  20. spell — a short time
  21. present — the time now
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — the instrument

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