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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ball — a dance
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lean — to bend
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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