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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. suit — to fit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — wild animals
  5. scale — size or range
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. suit — clothes
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kick — in football
  20. spell — magic
  21. scale — in music
  22. suit — in cards
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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