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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: file · spell · mark · lie · chair · racket · rule · deal

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. file — a document
  7. rule — a law
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lie — to recline
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. file — a tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chair — a leader
  21. deal — to handle
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rule — government

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