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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 ________________ the meat?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — a break
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — magic
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bass — the fish
  10. season — in sport
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spell — letters
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — the most important part
  22. hand — help
  23. key — in music
  24. season — of the year

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