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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pit · hand · rock · march · bowl · rash · date · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. date — the fruit
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rock — music
  13. march — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — a series
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. march — the month
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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