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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: hand · row · bowl · spell · rash · straw · fall · rule

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. rule — government
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rule — a law
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. row — a line
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rash — a series
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. hand — help
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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