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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — steady
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. firm — a company
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — a path
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. firm — decided

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