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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. spell — letters
  5. land — to come down
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hand — in cards
  10. board — to get on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. board — a committee
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — a measure
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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