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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 124 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. staff — a stick
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rock — music
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. roll — a list
  14. fork — in a road
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — magic
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fork — a garden tool

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