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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: row · pit · mug · wake · mouse · spell · staff · cell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. staff — a stick
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spell — letters
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mug — a face
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — in biology
  23. staff — employees
  24. mouse — the animal

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