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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spell — a short time
  22. chair — a leader
  23. spell — magic
  24. fine — a penalty

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