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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. present — there
  3. spell — a short time
  4. degree — an amount
  5. present — a gift
  6. fall — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — from a university
  11. present — the time now
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — letters
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. degree — temperature

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