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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lie — to recline
  4. craft — boats
  5. shower — rain
  6. last — final
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — magic
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. last — finally
  18. scale — in music
  19. spell — letters
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. last — to go on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mine — an explosive

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