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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. game — a match

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