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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: swing · drill · suit · roll · leaves · straw · spell · cell

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. drill — a practice
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. swing — in golf
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spell — a short time
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. drill — the tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. swing — music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. suit — to fit

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