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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ball — a dance
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. field — a subject
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — a short time
  14. field — for sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — magic
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — farmland
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. present — there
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fine — high quality
  24. present — a gift

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