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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. game — a match
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — a tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. drill — army training
  17. rush — hurry
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mark — a trace
  24. plane — an aircraft

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