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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mark — a grade
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fine — all right
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mug — a cup
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mug — a face
  16. key — in music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mark — a trace

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