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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — magic
  4. cue — a signal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — a series
  7. degree — temperature
  8. last — to go on
  9. degree — from a university
  10. last — final
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — letters
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cue — a hint

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