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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: drill · roll · spell · content · plane · bowl · foot · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. drill — the tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. content — the amount
  5. roll — a cake
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. spell — letters
  9. drill — a practice
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. drill — army training
  13. game — a match
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — a measure
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. content — happy

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