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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: spell · bowl · degree · suit · pitcher · cue · saw · fall

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spell — a short time
  4. degree — from a university
  5. suit — to fit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. suit — in cards
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fall — the season
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. saw — the tool

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