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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. spell — magic
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — letters
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. band — a music group

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