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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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Word bank
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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — for a lock
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stock — goods
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — an amount
  16. face — to confront
  17. degree — temperature
  18. key — in music
  19. stock — shares
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — from a university

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