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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — a short time
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spell — letters
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. land — a country
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — ground
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bat — for baseball

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