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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: mine · lean · racket · suit · content · bowl · rush · spell

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — letters
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. lean — to bend
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lean — thin
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spell — a short time

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