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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — letters
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spell — a short time
  5. current — electric
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. squash — the sport
  9. suit — to fit
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — to crush
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — clothes
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — employees
  19. current — happening now
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. staff — employees
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. staff — a stick

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