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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spell — letters
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spell — magic
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spell — a short time
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. face — to confront
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. face — to point toward
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. firm — steady

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