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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fine — all right
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rest — a break
  7. pound — a weight
  8. root — the cause
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — of a word
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spell — magic
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pound — to hit hard

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