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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: bore · rest · rash · roll · arm · net · cell · spell

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spell — magic
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spell — letters
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — a series
  13. spell — a short time
  14. net — in sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — after costs

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