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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — magic
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for dancing
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. club — for golf
  18. bass — the fish
  19. club — a group
  20. fall — the season
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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