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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 124 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fall — the season
  4. foot — a measure
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — magic
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — a list
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spell — letters
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. roll — a cake

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