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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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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: cell · swing · content · wake · spell · leaves · game · racket

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spell — letters
  15. swing — music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cell — a phone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cell — in biology
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. game — a match

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