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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spell — letters
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — a path
  18. degree — temperature
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — magic

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