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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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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spell — magic
  3. staff — a stick
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — letters
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — army training
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bulb — for light
  19. staff — employees
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. drill — a practice

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