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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 124 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. land — ground
  13. spell — letters
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — a line
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pass — a permit
  19. branch — a division
  20. pitch — completely
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. row — a quarrel

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