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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. firm — a company
  3. spell — letters
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — a short time
  8. land — to come down
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — hurry
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. kick — in football
  14. firm — decided
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — ground
  17. firm — steady
  18. land — a country
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ball — a dance
  23. row — a line
  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