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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ground — crushed
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — letters
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. tube — a container
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — a position
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ground — the earth

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