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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spell — a short time
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. ball — a great time
  9. key — the most important part
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — in music
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. foot — a measure
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — magic
  24. saw — the tool

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