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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.

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 · bat · cell · straw · rash · board · club · roll

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. board — to get on
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. club — a group
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. club — for dancing
  12. roll — a list
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — a committee
  15. club — for golf
  16. roll — a cake
  17. spell — letters
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cell — a phone
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spell — a short time

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