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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 · face · straw · rest · suit · game · pitcher · plane

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rest — what's left
  5. face — to confront
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. suit — clothes
  15. game — wild animals
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — a short time
  20. suit — to fit
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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