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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: rock · leaves · roll · last · ground · spell · squash · deal

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. deal — to handle
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spell — a short time
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spell — magic
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ground — crushed
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. squash — the sport
  20. roll — a list
  21. ground — a position
  22. spell — letters
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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