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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. row — a line
  5. bass — the fish
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pound — a weight
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — to confront
  15. spell — magic
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bass — low music

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