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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
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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: cell · spell · game · track · net · nail · sharp · fan

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. game — a match
  3. track — a song
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — for catching
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cell — in biology
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cell — a phone
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. track — a path
  20. net — in sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — after costs
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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