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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — a short time
  5. charge — electricity
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cap — a hat
  10. charge — in control
  11. dip — to sink
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — from a university
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. charge — a price
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spell — letters
  20. cap — a lid
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — for sport
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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