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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fall — to drop
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spell — a short time
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. firm — a company
  11. degree — temperature
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fall — to drop
  14. firm — steady
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. row — a line
  17. fall — the season
  18. ball — a great time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. firm — decided
  21. ball — a dance
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. board — to get on

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