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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — a match
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. sharp — clever
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — magic
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. ruler — for measuring

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