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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. spell — magic
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. track — a song
  4. rest — a break
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — in sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ball — a dance
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. season — of the year
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — letters
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ball — a great time
  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