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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: band · lie · degree · spell · net · court · toast · tear

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. toast — bread
  3. degree — from a university
  4. court — of law
  5. degree — temperature
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — for catching
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. band — a ring
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — letters
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. net — after costs
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a rubber band

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