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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 120 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: hand · spell · cap · suit · kick · bowl · bass · drill

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — in cards
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — low music
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — magic
  13. suit — clothes
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spell — a short time
  17. drill — army training
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — letters

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