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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: bear · bound · saw · foot · ball · game · bat · spell

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. game — wild animals
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bat — the animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — a match
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. foot — part of the body

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