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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. game — a match
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. spell — magic
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — a short time
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cabinet — ministers

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