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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.

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: roll · chair · spell · mouse · wake · cabinet · kid · land

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — magic
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. land — a country
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. roll — a list
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chair — a leader
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. land — to come down
  20. wake — a trail
  21. kid — child
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mouse — the animal

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