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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pop · land · kick · spell · deal · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spell — letters
  8. pop — soda
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spell — a short time
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kick — in football
  14. pop — music
  15. land — to come down
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pop — to visit

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