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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rule — government
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — a weight
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. spell — letters
  19. craft — boats
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. kick — in football
  22. rule — a law
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. degree — an amount

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