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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: suit · prune · game · spell · drill · date · content · kick

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. drill — a practice
  4. date — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a match
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spell — magic
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. drill — army training
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. game — wild animals
  14. drill — the tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. content — happy
  19. suit — to fit
  20. content — the amount
  21. spell — a short time
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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