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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.

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: spell · ball · fan · shower · game · wake · bat · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ball — a dance
  5. suit — to fit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — a match
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spell — letters
  24. game — wild animals

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