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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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. can — a tin
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. land — a country
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — help
  8. roll — a cake
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. roll — a list
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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