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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. foot — a measure
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. key — the most important part
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. branch — a division
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rash — a series
  18. stand — to bear
  19. file — a document
  20. key — in music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. key — for a lock
  23. file — a tool
  24. branch — of a bank

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