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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: bowl · spell · rest · lie · season · current · bat · ball

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. current — of water
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. current — electric
  7. spell — letters
  8. current — happening now
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. season — in sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — of the year
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — a break
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ball — a great time

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