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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spell — magic
  10. scale — size or range
  11. band — a music group
  12. scale — in music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. snap — to click
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — a short time
  17. board — a committee
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — to get on
  24. hand — help

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