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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · craft · chest · present · degree · fine · stock · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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 — magic
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — letters
  5. chest — a box
  6. degree — from a university
  7. craft — boats
  8. stock — shares
  9. club — a group
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stock — goods
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — the time now
  14. club — for golf
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — there
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fine — all right
  20. degree — an amount
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chest — of your body
  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