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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. perch — the fish
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. board — to get on
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. stock — goods
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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