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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — finally
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rock — a stone
  12. spell — magic
  13. rock — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of law
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. court — of a king
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. last — final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mouse — the animal

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