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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: roll · pit · fall · mark · field · spell · squash · net

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. squash — the sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. spell — letters
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mark — a grade
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — for catching
  12. field — farmland
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. roll — a cake
  15. spell — magic
  16. pit — a hole
  17. net — after costs
  18. fall — to drop
  19. roll — a list
  20. field — for sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. mark — a trace
  23. field — a subject
  24. squash — to crush

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