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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mug — a face
  3. object — an aim
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — magic
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mug — a cup
  14. object — a thing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. degree — an amount
  17. object — to protest
  18. squash — to crush
  19. spell — letters
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mug — to rob
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. scale — in music

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