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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spell — magic
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — a short time
  7. hand — help
  8. branch — a division
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — a country
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kick — in football
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. spell — letters
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — in cards
  24. can — a tin

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