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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.

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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: game · pound · can · bowl · lie · spell · club · saw

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — magic
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. spell — letters
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spell — a short time
  22. club — a group
  23. can — a tin
  24. club — for golf

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