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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rock — music
  8. key — in music
  9. mark — a trace
  10. degree — from a university
  11. capital — a city
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rock — a stone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. spell — magic
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. degree — an amount
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spell — letters

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