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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — a series
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. spell — a short time
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — letters
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. dip — to sink
  23. degree — an amount
  24. patient — a sick person

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