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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — magic
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bass — the fish
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lean — thin
  9. band — a music group
  10. rash — a series
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — a match
  15. band — a ring
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — letters
  22. lean — to bend
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bass — low music

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