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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spell — letters
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — after costs
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — for catching
  14. degree — temperature
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. march — music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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