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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. roll — a cake
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — magic
  18. toast — bread
  19. chair — a leader
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — a short time
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. roll — a list
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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