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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: fine · spell · ball · kick · saw · squash · bulb · field

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — farmland
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. saw — the tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. field — a subject
  15. fine — high quality
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spell — magic
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kick — in football

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