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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — a short time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. season — of the year
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. degree — an amount
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cabinet — ministers

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