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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.

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: cell · racket · game · last · spell · pitcher · face · nail

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cell — a phone
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — finally
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — final
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — a match

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