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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — a phone
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rest — what's left
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — temperature
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rest — a break
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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