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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. present — the time now
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. degree — temperature
  11. present — there
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spell — magic
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spell — letters
  24. present — a gift

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