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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: spell · mark · club · foot · mouse · cell · dip · bat

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — a trace
  4. club — for dancing
  5. foot — a measure
  6. spell — letters
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spell — a short time
  12. club — for golf
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. club — a group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cell — in biology

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