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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. present — the time now
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spell — magic
  14. kid — child
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — all right
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — there
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fine — high quality

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