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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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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: foot · bowl · fork · rule · cue · arm · track · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cue — for pool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cue — a hint
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fork — in a road
  12. spell — a short time
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spell — magic
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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