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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spell — magic
  5. degree — temperature
  6. spell — letters
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fine — all right
  13. rest — a break
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bulb — for light
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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