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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a signal
  6. spell — letters
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cue — a hint

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