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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: deal · racket · face · drill · spell · season · dip · roll

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. drill — army training
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. drill — a practice
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. drill — the tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. deal — to handle
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spell — letters
  11. season — in sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — magic
  15. dip — to sink
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. face — to point toward
  18. roll — a cake
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. season — of the year
  22. spell — a short time
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. season — to add flavour

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