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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — for sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — an amount
  8. charge — electricity
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rock — a stone
  14. charge — in control
  15. bore — to tire
  16. charge — a price
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — a short time
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rock — 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