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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. content — happy
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — letters
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. degree — an amount
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — the season
  21. degree — from a university
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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