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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: spell · jam · bowl · drill · kid · date · rule · bear

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — army training
  10. kid — to tease
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. drill — the tool
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spell — letters
  17. kid — child
  18. bear — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rule — a law
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  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