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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rush — hurry
  5. land — to come down
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. land — ground
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. land — a country
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — letters
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spell — magic
  21. bat — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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