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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mug — a face
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. staff — a stick
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mug — a cup
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — to rob
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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