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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spell — magic
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — army training
  13. rest — a break
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spell — a short time
  24. leaves — to go away

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