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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spell — a short time
  13. club — a group
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fork — in a road
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — high quality
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. net — for catching

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