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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. spell — magic
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spell — letters
  8. degree — from a university
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pass — a permit
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. degree — temperature
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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