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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — of ice
  4. suit — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spell — magic
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cue — a signal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. suit — clothes
  14. last — finally
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cue — a hint
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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