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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. craft — a skill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — the amount
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spell — letters
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rule — government
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rest — a break
  15. rule — a law
  16. degree — temperature
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. craft — boats
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — magic
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. content — happy

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