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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 116 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: leaves · bowl · cue · snap · spell · safe · face · fine

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fine — all right
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spell — magic
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cue — for pool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. face — part of the head
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cue — a signal
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cue — a hint
  20. snap — to click
  21. face — to point toward
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. face — to confront
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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