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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · hide · snap · row · spell · safe · scale · leaves

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spell — letters
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spell — magic
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a match
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — a short time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. scale — for weighing

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