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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: arm · roll · season · plane · racket · file · mark · spell

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — a short time
  3. roll — a list
  4. mark — a trace
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — a grade
  10. file — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — of the year
  15. plane — a tool
  16. roll — a cake
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a document
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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