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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — to handle
  7. last — finally
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — a match
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — low music
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. last — final
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. game — a kind of play

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