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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. content — happy
  10. game — a match
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rock — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — the amount
  21. rock — a stone
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — wild animals

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