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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. degree — temperature
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — an amount
  16. key — in music
  17. club — for golf
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — the most important part
  23. club — a group
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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