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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: hand · wind · spell · key · ball · mouse · drill · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spell — a short time
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. drill — army training
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — magic
  14. roll — a list
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a cake
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. key — in music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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