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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: chair · bowl · bound · pit · saw · firm · spell · wave

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. chair — a leader
  6. saw — the tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. firm — a company
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. firm — steady
  21. bound — certain
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chair — to sit on

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