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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spell — a short time
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — magic
  9. can — a tin
  10. band — a music group
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — in sport
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wind — moving air
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spell — letters
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — an amount
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fine — a penalty

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