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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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spell — magic
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. object — to protest
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. craft — a skill
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — a short time
  12. object — a thing
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — for sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. object — an aim
  18. degree — an amount
  19. field — a subject
  20. season — in sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. field — farmland
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. season — to add flavour

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