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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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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: wind · hand · spell · bay · season · net · toast · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. spell — magic
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. season — of the year
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. toast — bread
  8. hand — help
  9. net — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hand — in cards
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. net — after costs
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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