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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — final
  3. drill — army training
  4. spell — letters
  5. face — to confront
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. band — a music group
  10. last — to go on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a ring
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — part of the head
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. drill — a practice
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — finally

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