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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. suit — to fit
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — magic
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. deal — to handle
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. last — final
  14. bass — low music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. suit — clothes
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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