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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. degree — an amount
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — magic
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to sink
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fine — all right
  17. spell — a short time
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — in music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. dip — to dunk

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