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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · spell · suit · track · degree · pit · spring · fall

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spell — letters
  4. ground — crushed
  5. suit — to fit
  6. spell — a short time
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fall — the season
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — a position
  12. pit — a hole
  13. degree — from a university
  14. track — a path
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. pit — in a race
  18. degree — an amount
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fall — to drop

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