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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rash — a series
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. band — a music group
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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