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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bound — certain
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wake — a trail
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. club — for golf
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. club — a group
  17. spell — magic
  18. bound — tied together
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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