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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mine — for digging
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spell — magic
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — help
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. net — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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