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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kick — in football
  3. spell — magic
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — the cause
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. root — of a word
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. track — to keep track
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — in music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. track — a song
  17. spell — a short time
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. scale — size or range
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — of a plant
  24. row — to paddle

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