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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: bat · spell · game · ball · wake · deal · fork · rock

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — letters
  8. rock — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fork — in a road
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — to move gently

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