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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — for sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fine — high quality
  18. spell — magic
  19. court — of law
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bowl — a football final

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