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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the fish
  3. game — a match
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spell — magic
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. swing — music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cell — in biology
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. swing — in golf
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. swing — to play on
  24. fine — all right

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