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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.

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 · racket · saw · ground · pop · rule · fall · foot

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ground — the earth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spell — magic
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fall — the season
  17. pop — to visit
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ground — a position
  20. fall — to drop
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rule — a law
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rule — government

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