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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. firm — steady
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a document
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — from a university
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. degree — an amount
  13. season — in sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rash — hasty
  16. snap — to click
  17. degree — temperature
  18. firm — a company
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. lean — thin
  23. season — of the year
  24. firm — decided

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