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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spell — magic
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — a trail
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. key — in music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. key — for a lock
  18. degree — from a university

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