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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 · stick · deal · kid · board · bass · foot · mate

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mate — a friend
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. board — a committee
  22. mate — to breed
  23. board — to get on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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