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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: wake · hand · pitcher · ball · swing · spell · rush · deal

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hand — help
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — hurry
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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