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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. degree — temperature
  6. squash — to crush
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bat — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. land — a country
  12. charge — electricity
  13. land — ground
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — to rip
  16. charge — in control
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — an amount
  22. charge — a price
  23. key — for a lock
  24. squash — the vegetable

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