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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — a match
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. cue — for pool
  11. content — the amount
  12. cue — a hint
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — wild animals
  15. tear — to rip
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. object — to protest
  20. spell — magic
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cue — a signal
  24. tear — from crying

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