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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — letters
  3. season — of the year
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. spring — a coil
  10. object — to protest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. spring — of water
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — magic

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