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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — a path
  4. last — final
  5. spell — letters
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. branch — a division
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — finally
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bound — obliged
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. face — to confront
  19. mine — for digging
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — a song

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