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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. land — to come down
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. land — ground
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. can — a tin
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. land — a country
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spell — magic
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bear — the animal

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