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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: spell · foot · wound · game · fine · pass · rush · saw

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fine — high quality
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. foot — a measure
  11. game — wild animals
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spell — letters
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — all right
  24. foot — part of the body

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