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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mark — a grade
  4. drill — army training
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. club — for dancing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. season — in sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. season — of the year
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitch — completely
  24. key — for a lock

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