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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — after costs
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spell — magic
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. last — finally
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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