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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: wake · spell · last · deal · spring · chip · degree · season

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — of the year
  3. last — final
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — to go on
  10. degree — temperature
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spell — a short time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — letters
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. season — in sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. last — finally

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