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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. mate — a partner
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spell — a short time
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a great time
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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