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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: kid · press · spell · bowl · wound · last · bay · scale

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. scale — in music
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spell — magic
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spell — letters
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bowl — a football final

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