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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — letters
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. firm — decided
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spell — magic
  11. season — of the year
  12. rule — a law
  13. season — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. firm — steady
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bat — the animal
  19. firm — a company
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rule — government
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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