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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: cap · season · hand · kick · spell · chip · drill · object

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — a lid
  5. season — of the year
  6. cap — a hat
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chip — for betting
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. drill — army training
  24. spell — magic

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