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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. drill — the tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. clip — a video
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spell — a short time
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pound — a weight
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fork — in a road
  13. clip — to cut
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spell — letters
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — for dogs

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