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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — money
  7. pound — a weight
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — magic
  13. degree — an amount
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mate — a partner
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. degree — temperature

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