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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: bowl · last · mate · fan · scale · leaves · spell · current

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — final
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mate — a partner
  9. current — of water
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mate — a friend
  16. spell — a short time
  17. scale — in music
  18. last — to go on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spell — magic
  22. last — finally
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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