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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: suit · bowl · game · march · file · wake · spell · rash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. suit — to fit
  6. file — a tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a line of people
  14. march — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spell — a short time
  17. suit — clothes
  18. file — a document
  19. suit — in cards
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. spell — letters
  24. game — a kind of play

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