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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
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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: mouse · rule · spell · object · march · pitch · fine · hand

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. spell — letters
  2. march — the month
  3. rule — government
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — in cards
  10. march — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — help
  13. object — to protest
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. march — the month
  17. fine — all right
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — magic
  20. object — an aim
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitch — completely
  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