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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. ball — a dance
  8. firm — a company
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. spell — letters
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spell — a short time
  24. deal — an agreement

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