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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a dance
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — in music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. present — the time now
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — an amount
  24. leaves — to go away

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