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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: land · kick · spell · nail · degree · fine · kid · rest

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — to come down
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spell — magic
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — letters
  10. degree — an amount
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fine — all right
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — to tease
  18. degree — temperature
  19. kick — in football
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. land — ground
  23. kid — child
  24. fine — high quality

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