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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mug — to rob
  4. spell — a short time
  5. degree — temperature
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spell — magic
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spell — letters
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitch — completely
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pit — a hole
  24. degree — from a university

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