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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rule — government
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — a group
  5. ball — a dance
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a great time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rule — a law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. face — to confront
  22. spell — letters
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — magic

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