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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · mine · toast · court · lie · cap · pass · game

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. toast — bread
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spell — magic
  11. game — a match
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mine — for digging
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — a lid
  16. court — of law
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. cap — of ice
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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