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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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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. snap — to click
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. land — ground
  12. degree — from a university
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fine — all right
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. 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