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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — from a university
  15. field — farmland
  16. suit — in cards
  17. key — for a lock
  18. degree — an amount

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