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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.

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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — to paddle
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — a friend
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. branch — a division
  13. content — the amount
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. row — a line
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. key — the most important part
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. branch — of a tree

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