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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. degree — an amount
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. vault — a safe
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spell — letters
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chair — a leader

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