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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — in music
  4. bank — for money
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bank — for money
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bank — of a river
  9. last — finally
  10. firm — decided
  11. scale — size or range
  12. last — to go on
  13. spell — magic
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. firm — steady
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. firm — a company
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part 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