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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 120 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: spell · chair · court · wake · fall · rest · wind · bowl

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fall — the season
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rest — a break
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of a king
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. spell — magic
  24. court — of law

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