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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mug — a face
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spell — magic
  16. bulb — for light
  17. face — to confront
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. spell — a short time
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bowl — a dish

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