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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 · suit · ball · ruler · bat · prune · field · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ball — a great time
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. field — for sport
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — farmland
  19. spell — letters
  20. bat — the animal
  21. suit — clothes
  22. field — a subject
  23. spell — magic
  24. ruler — for measuring

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