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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. charge — in control
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. clip — a video
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spell — magic
  7. suit — in cards
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. ball — a dance
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. charge — electricity
  16. clip — for paper
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — clothes
  20. charge — a price
  21. spell — letters
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spell — a short time
  24. degree — from a university

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