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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — to go on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — letters
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. spell — a short time
  10. net — after costs
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spell — magic
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — finally
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — in sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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