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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — in sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. shower — to wash
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — rain
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spell — a short time
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. toast — bread
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — after costs
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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