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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pit — a hole
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — size or range
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stem — to come from

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