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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. drill — a practice
  5. key — for a lock
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. degree — from a university
  9. drill — the tool
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. date — the fruit
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. degree — an amount
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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