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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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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spell — magic
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. net — after costs
  14. bass — low music
  15. net — for catching
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — letters
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rash — hasty
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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