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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — a practice
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. court — of a king
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — army training
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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