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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
468
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: game · spell · bass · arm · file · date · cabinet · calf

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spell — letters
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bass — low music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — a match
  17. file — a line of people
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. file — a document
  24. game — a kind of play

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