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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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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: bowl · snap · scale · race · spell · rest · cell · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — magic
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rest — a break
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — in music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spell — a short time
  18. scale — size or range
  19. race — a contest
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. spell — letters
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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