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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · bay · foot · pitcher · wound · rule · face · saw

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. spell — a short time
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spell — magic
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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