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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: ball · game · bass · hand · field · ruler · toast · spell

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bass — low music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. game — a match
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bass — the fish
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — farmland
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — letters
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. spell — magic
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. toast — bread

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