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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. prune — to trim

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