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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kick — in football
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spell — magic
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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