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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bound · hide · last · spell · pitcher · march · mouse · fan

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — a short time
  11. march — music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — finally
  22. march — the month
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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