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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. face — to point toward
  3. degree — from a university
  4. land — ground
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. current — happening now
  7. spell — magic
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — letters
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — bread
  15. current — electric
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. land — to come down
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — a trace
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — a country
  24. mark — a grade

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