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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
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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: roll · arm · bay · degree · shower · net · spell · rash

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. roll — a cake
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. net — for catching
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. roll — a list
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — a short time
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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