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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — a series
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rash — hasty
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spell — letters
  13. tube — the underground
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fine — all right
  21. spell — magic
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — exactly

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