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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ground — crushed
  6. key — for a lock
  7. root — of a plant
  8. track — a song
  9. lie — to recline
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — to keep track
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — obliged
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ground — the earth
  18. track — a path
  19. root — the cause
  20. ground — a position
  21. march — music
  22. root — of a word
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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