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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fall — to drop
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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