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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 116 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 · drill · spell · squash · charge · ball · game · race

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a great time
  8. game — wild animals
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — a phone
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — in control
  16. squash — to crush
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. game — a match
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — in biology
  22. charge — a price
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cell — in a prison

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