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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: kid · bowl · stick · swing · mate · track · spell · cell

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cell — a phone
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — a short time
  13. swing — music
  14. track — a song
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. kid — child
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. spell — magic
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spell — letters

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