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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 120 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: cabinet · bowl · foot · pit · suit · row · spell · kid

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. suit — clothes
  3. kid — child
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. foot — a measure
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spell — magic
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. spell — letters
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. row — a line
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pit — in a race
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pit — a hole

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