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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. key — the most important part
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stem — to come from
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant

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