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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rule — a law
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rule — government
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cap — a hat
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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