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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
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: game · fork · toast · deal · pitcher · clip · spell · stand

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spell — letters
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. deal — to handle
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. spell — magic
  12. fork — in a road
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. clip — for paper
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. toast — bread
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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