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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — a permit
  13. spell — magic
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spell — letters
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fall — the season
  24. coach — a trainer

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