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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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468
Word bank
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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. degree — from a university
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — magic
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — a short time
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — a stick
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fine — all right
  13. charge — electricity
  14. file — a document
  15. rock — a stone
  16. charge — a price
  17. object — an aim
  18. file — a tool
  19. charge — in control
  20. rock — music
  21. object — to protest
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — a penalty

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