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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. current — of water
  5. plane — a tool
  6. current — electric
  7. bound — tied together
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fall — the season
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — happening now
  23. spell — a short time
  24. coach — a trainer

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