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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — a match
  3. object — an aim
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. game — wild animals
  9. court — of law
  10. object — a thing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. court — of a king
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. spell — magic
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — of water
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. object — to protest

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