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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — in music
  3. present — the time now
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — a series
  6. chest — a box
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spell — magic
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — a gift
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — there
  23. tube — a container
  24. degree — from a university

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