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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. key — the most important part
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. degree — temperature
  13. key — for a lock
  14. dip — to sink
  15. key — in music
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. scale — in music
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. row — a line
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wake — before a funeral

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