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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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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. capital — money
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — rain
  14. roll — a list
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. roll — a cake
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — letters
  20. ball — a great time
  21. spell — a short time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. shower — to wash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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