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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fine — high quality
  3. current — of water
  4. degree — from a university
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. club — for golf
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rush — hurry
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — happening now
  13. club — a group
  14. degree — an amount
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — temperature
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — letters

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