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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chip — for betting
  4. suit — clothes
  5. spell — magic
  6. suit — to fit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. spell — letters
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — to recline
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in a prison

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