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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. present — the time now
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. present — there
  14. spell — magic
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. present — a gift
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bat — in an idiom

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