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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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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: cell · suit · pound · spell · degree · deal · last · firm

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pound — a weight
  3. firm — a company
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cell — in biology
  6. degree — temperature
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — finally
  11. cell — a phone
  12. suit — clothes
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — from a university
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — final
  17. deal — to handle
  18. firm — decided
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spell — magic
  21. firm — steady
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spell — a short time
  24. deal — an agreement

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