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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rock — a stone
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. march — the month
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — an amount
  15. band — a music group
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rock — music
  18. key — in music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kick — in football
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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