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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: dip · game · spell · bat · toast · rule · prune · staff

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — a stick
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. game — wild animals
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — government
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — letters
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a match
  22. toast — bread
  23. spell — a short time
  24. dip — to sink

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