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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. spell — a short time
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. row — a line
  6. spell — letters
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — magic
  11. lean — thin
  12. land — a country
  13. net — in sport
  14. present — there
  15. land — to come down
  16. craft — a skill
  17. net — after costs
  18. craft — boats
  19. net — for catching
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lean — to bend

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