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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · cap · cell · spell · hand · bowl · field · dip

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — of ice
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — farmland
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. dip — to sink
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — help
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — a subject
  16. spell — magic
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. field — for sport
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. hand — in cards

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