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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — of water
  6. land — a country
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. spring — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. content — happy
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — magic
  24. land — ground

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