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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. swing — to play on
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fine — high quality
  10. degree — temperature
  11. swing — music
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spell — magic
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fine — all right
  20. spell — letters
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — an amount
  23. swing — in golf
  24. press — a publisher

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