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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — a short time
  6. drill — army training
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. craft — a skill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. face — to confront
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bulb — for light
  23. craft — boats
  24. bulb — of a plant

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