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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. row — a line
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — a series
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — to play on
  23. row — to paddle
  24. swing — in golf

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