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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — a line
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bound — obliged
  11. firm — decided
  12. spell — a short time
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bound — tied together
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. firm — a company
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — certain
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — magic
  23. mine — for digging
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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