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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — temperature
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pop — soda
  5. season — in sport
  6. pop — music
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. race — a contest
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pit — a hole
  12. season — of the year
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. race — humankind
  20. pop — to visit
  21. spring — of water
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spell — letters

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