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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bass — the fish
  6. club — a group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bass — low music
  10. degree — an amount
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spell — magic
  18. safe — out of danger

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