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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 124 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spell — magic
  4. ball — a dance
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kid — to tease
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stand — to bear
  10. row — a line
  11. ball — a great time
  12. branch — a division
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spell — letters
  16. kid — child
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — the amount
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. content — happy
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. content — videos and posts

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