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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. spell — magic
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a line of people
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. degree — from a university
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pass — a permit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. file — a tool
  18. roll — a cake
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — an amount
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. roll — a list
  23. spell — letters
  24. pass — to succeed

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