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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spell — a short time
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — letters
  12. game — a match
  13. clip — a video
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fine — all right
  16. degree — temperature
  17. track — a song
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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