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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. firm — a company
  3. charge — electricity
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — decided
  8. net — for catching
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — magic
  11. charge — a price
  12. firm — steady
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — the season
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bank — of a river
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — after costs
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — in sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — in control

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