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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — a short time
  5. suit — to fit
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. net — in sport
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. spell — magic
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. degree — from a university
  18. net — for catching
  19. suit — in cards
  20. last — to go on
  21. squash — to crush
  22. suit — clothes
  23. board — to get on
  24. net — after costs

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