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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. row — a line
  5. spell — a short time
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kick — in football
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — magic
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cell — in biology

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