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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — the month
  10. season — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — a short time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. degree — from a university
  24. leaves — lets stay

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