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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.

Words on the sheet
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: fan · game · mate · bowl · land · bat · staff · spell

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. staff — a stick
  3. game — a match
  4. bat — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. spell — letters
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. spell — a short time
  19. land — a country
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. land — to come down
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — a friend
  24. game — a kind of play

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