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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — a list
  5. spell — a short time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — a trail
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. content — the amount
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — letters
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — happy
  22. spell — magic
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in biology

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