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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spell — magic
  4. net — in sport
  5. rock — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. face — to confront
  11. net — for catching
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. file — a tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rock — a stone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. net — after costs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. nail — on a finger

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