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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. degree — an amount
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pit — a hole
  6. craft — boats
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitch — completely
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bat — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spell — letters
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. degree — temperature

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