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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · spell · bay · drill · cell · deal

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spell — letters
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. cell — a phone
  8. drill — the tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. press — newspapers
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spell — a short time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. press — to push
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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